Broadcasting digital data over conventional transmission channels such as television, AM, FM radio, microwave radio, optical fiber, or ordinary telephone cables is well known technology and used for many purposes. For example, encoded data embedded in television signals (i.e., in the same channel or frequency band of the television signal) has been used to generate closed captions for the hearing impaired. Transmitted data consisting of financial information such as stock ticker tape data current news, weather and sports has been transmitted as imbedded data in both radio and television signals. Imbedded information has been provided free, sold on a subscription basis or paid for according to the amount of data actually used by the subscriber. Examples of methods and apparatus to encode data in a television signal are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,212,551.
In U.S. Pat Nos. 4,592,546 to Faccenda, and 5,083,800 to Lockton, digital data is broadcast to a dedicated device used in conjunction with a live broadcast of a sporting event. The object is for the person (player) following a sporting event to predict the outcome of certain events. The disclosed system includes a method of preventing the player from entering the answer after the event has happened. The system is two way, in that a communication channel is provided to send the player's guesses back to a central computer to determine the player's score, etc, to simulate a degree of interactivity with a sporting event.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,926,255, 5,034,807, 5,227,874, 5,249,044, and 5,283,734
In U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,745,468, 5,057,915, 5,128,752, to Von Kohorn, data is broadcast at no cost, and the object is for the person receiving the broadcast to be rewarded with a coupon or token, if the correct answers to a question posed on the broadcast is entered on a computer-like device that makes the coupon. The coupon is physically presented at the premises of the sponsor of the broadcast to receive a reward in the form of a discount, special offer, and the like. Couponing to receive a benefit is based on the idea that value is contained in goods and services. Accordingly, the consumer will pay close attention to programming and commercial messages in order to receive a benefit in the form of a coupon.